Menu

Blog: Beer Might Prevent Brain Disease

In the wake of a two-day Winnipeg boil water advisory, a lot of our friends and family were wondering what to drink, cook with, and use to brush their teeth. They should have stuck with beer.

Okay, maybe you don’t need to brush your teeth with booze (that’s very bad for your teeth, Ke$ha), but it looks like science has given us another reason to love beer. Parts of it may prevent degenerative brain disease.

According to an article on iflscience.com, scientists have been studying beer’s effects on degenerative brain disease, and the results are promising. It turns out there’s an active ingredient in beer and hops called Xanthohumol, which early studies suggest could help prevent brain disorders like dementia, Alzheimer’s, or Parkinson’s disease.

Basically, the reasearchers think this Xantho-whatever, like many of its antioxidant cousins, can help prevent oxidative stress. Here’s a great quote that sums up the findings:

Although more research is warranted, particularly in live organisms, the scientists think these results suggest that Xanthohumol could represent a potential candidate for fighting neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

In short: the early stages of this research suggest that, like wine or whiskey, beer may be host to some helpful antioxidants and (in reasonable doses) be good for your brain.